History Main / InternetCounterattack

Wrong. If it gets on the Internet, doubly wrong.

* [[http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=131091599&sc=fb&cc=fp A cooking magazine stole a blogger's pie recipe]]. When the blogger called them on it, she got a nasty email about how she should be ''thanking'' them for publishing her work; the editor had somehow gotten the idea that [[CriticalResearchFailure anything on the internet is public domain]], so they could steal it with impunity without compensating the authors so long as she credited them. The internet, naturally, exploded, harassing the magazine's {{Facebook}} page and investigating where their other articles might have come from. Turns out {{plagiarism}} made up a pretty significant portion of their content. How it will end has yet to be seen.

** How could we have gotten this far down without mentioning that one of the people who chastised her was ''JackThompson'', who said that the game wasn't bad. Yes, that was the sound of flying pigs you just heard.

*** 4Chan anons have also been responsible for preventing [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4chan#Threats_of_violence several potential mass murders]]. Although some of the perpetrators claimed, after apprehension by authorities, that their threats were not intended seriously; and at least one was clearly a hoax.

** Let's not forget the grief people had over the new perks as being crap and the only reason not to buy [=MW2=] (sure 600ms+ ping is no reason!), or the infinite ammo glitch (AC-130's that could wipe out a map within a matter of seconds with a very large caliber gun firing very fast). Or the lack of modding due to IW servers. Otherwise the game is fine, and is very average for a console game, except for the [=CoD=] glitch that has been in since the originals where firing near someone's head guarantees headshot but firing an actual headshot, ''on a stationary target'', is almost always going to miss.

* Related, but not identical -- the DMCA takedown method. It won't work on all attack material, and anything taken down is likely to pop back up; but if the counterattack is using footage belonging to the corporate target or photoshopping something truly libelous, it can at least slow the speed of an Internet Counterattack -- which can sometimes make the difference between it leaping to the mass media or
staying contained on the 'Net. And takedowns are quieter than lawsuits...unless you try it on someone in the League of Reason...

# Try to sue the masses for slander. Or, if you can pinpoint the original internet attacker, or the primary source for the attack, sue that. Due to the anonymous nature of the Internet, this rarely works as intended, and often makes the crowd angrier and more rowdy. Organizations who prefer this approach must use a double-pronged attack -- they must try to convince any undecided masses that the internet attackers are in the wrong...
* Related, but not identical -- the DMCA takedown method. It won't work on all attack material, and anything taken down is likely to pop back up; but if the counterattack is using footage belonging to the corporate target or photoshopping something truly libelous, it can at least slow the speed of an Internet Counterattack -- which can sometimes make the difference between it leaping to the mass media or staying contained on the 'Net. And takedowns are quieter than lawsuits...unless you try it on someone in the League of Reason...

* The NostalgiaCritic had posted a review of ''TheRoom'' on ThatGuyWithTheGlasses that was one of the most anticipated reviews he ever did. A few hours later, it was mysteriously taken down from the site. When people found out that it was because [[InsaneTrollLogic someone at Wiseau Films filed a copyright claim even though the review is protected by Fair Use laws]]... Let's just say that Tommy Wiseau has really pissed off the wrong people.

** It might not be as protected as many believe, due to the nitty-gritty details of just how much of it constitutes a parody (Uses nearly 20 minutes of footage, reveals the whole plot, etc). Though it's not like Wiseau deserves that benefit of the doubt, or will get it: there is also evidence that the Critic and Co's reaction comes not from the copyright claim, but whoever made it demonstrating a very bad and unpleasant attitude in the process. Compare and contrast when [[TheSpoonyExperiment Spoony]] put up his Rifftrax of the terrible film ''So Last Season'': while the maker made a similar copyright claim, he was apparently nice and reasonable about it, which resulted in Spoony taking the video down and the maker at least less likely to end up the topic of jokes, insults, and angry fans for who knows how long.

** By misinformedly, we mean [[WhatAnIdiot she cried out that she had never played the game]], where if she did [[DidNotDoTheResearch do the fucking research]] would realize that the game [[YouFailLogicForever was not a rape simulator with full nudity and selectable poses as she claimed]].

---> [[DeadpanSnarker adm_citrus]]: [[LastChanceToQuit Dude, listen to her]]. Seriously, you're not going to look like a dipshit if you turn your tail and run like all hell is behind you. Well, no more of a dipshit than you do now.

This is the [[InvertedTrope inversion]] of ViralMarketing. If someone, anyone, both knows of the problem you are committing and has internet access, they will spread it on the 'Net in any form possible, probably blown out of proportion. The Internet's anonymity allowing for poor taste, slander, and harassment, and it's instantaneous communication allowing the hysteria to spread quickly, makes any situation a PR disaster waiting to happen, if not already happening. Before you know it, a stream of viral videos, parodies of your advertisements, and maybe photoshopped pictures of your wife naked will be ''all over'' the Internet for the world to see. All of this will emphasize the simple (to them) fact that you ''seriously'' screwed up. They will not cease and desist until the "problem" is fixed. In the worst case, they won't cease and desist then, either. (Ask {{Metallica}}.)

* "All I want for Xmas is a PSP" was a website that had a pair of kids rapping about how much they wanted a PSP for Chirstmas. The internet smelled a rat and started looking into it. Turns out, [[ViralMarketing it was Sony who posted it]], and the internet responded with anger. Sony eventually fessed up, saying "You caught us. I guess our dialogue was too funky!"

** And Dr. Ashen's parody of it [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z29dYUXoloI here]].

** To Clarify: The removal of dedicated servers did not affect Americans (where IW is based therefor) so they cannot grief about it in the slightest as they do not understand 600ms+ games ''minimum'', which can be painful but playable, not to mention the fact console players have to put up with the always pinged to Americans who may have 64kb/s but still be picked host as they live down the road from the XBL servers. Ability to lean was a deliberate gameplay design to stop people abusing it to appear to be, if you will, a "prairie dog coming out of a hole" in corners as they would be virtually unhittable, and reduction of players was to increase server stability but also to give the game a less frantic arcade feeling, taking it away from something such as Q3 more to Gears of War/Halo. But!
*** Let's not forget the grief people had over the new perks as being crap and the only reason not to buy [=MW2=] (sure 600ms+ ping is no reason!), or the infinite ammo glitch (AC-130's that could wipe out a map within a matter of seconds with a very large caliber gun firing very fast). Or the lack of modding due to IW servers. Otherwise the game is fine, and is very average for a console game, except for the [=CoD=] glitch that has been in since the originals where firing near someone's head guarantees headshot but firing an actual headshot, ''on a stationary target'', is almost always going to miss.

** To Clarify: The removal of dedicated servers did not affect Americans (where IW is based therefor) so they cannot grief about it in the slightest as they do not understand 600ms+ games ''minimum'', which can be painful but playable as international players thrash Americans, not to mention the fact console players have to put up with the always pinged to Americans who may have 64kb/s but still be picked host as they live down the road from the XBL servers. Ability to lean was a deliberate gameplay design to stop people abusing it to appear to be, if you will, a "prairie dog coming out of a hole" in corners as they would be virtually unhittable, and reduction of players was to increase server stability but also to give the game a less frantic arcade feeling, taking it away from something such as Q3 more to Gears of War/Halo. But!

# Do nothing! Who cares if the internet doesn't like you? You still have millions of customers purchasing your products, right?! It can be effective if your product isn't internet-based or aimed heavily at that demographic, and if the counterattack doesn't get too intense. If it ''does'' get too intense, it'll spread to traditional media, and you'll have to resort to another strategy. It won't work at all if your product is that MMORPG[[hottip:* :Although you're screwed no matter what, since if you reverse the changes, the ''other'' half of your subscribers will complain that they loved the changes. {{strike Nobody}} People will actually carry out their inevitable threat to cancel their account]].

# Do nothing! Who cares if the internet doesn't like you? You still have millions of customers purchasing your products, right?! It can be effective if your product isn't internet-based or aimed heavily at that demographic, and if the counterattack doesn't get too intense. If it ''does'' get too intense, it'll spread to traditional media, and you'll have to resort to another strategy. It won't work at all if your product is that MMORPG[[hottip:* :Although you're screwed no matter what, since if you reverse the changes, the ''other'' half of your subscribers will complain that they loved the changes. [[[[strike Nobody]] People will actually carry out their inevitable threat to cancel their account]].

# Do nothing! Who cares if the internet doesn't like you? You still have millions of customers purchasing your products, right?! It can be effective if your product isn't internet-based or aimed heavily at that demographic, and if the counterattack doesn't get too intense. If it ''does'' get too intense, it'll spread to traditional media, and you'll have to resort to another strategy. It won't work at all if your product is that MMORPG[[hottip:* :Although you're screwed no matter what, since if you reverse the changes, the ''other'' half of your subscribers will complain that they loved the changes. [[strike Nobody]] People will actually carry out their inevitable threat to cancel their account]].

This is the [[InvertedTrope inversion]] of ViralMarketing. If someone, anyone, both knows of the problem you are committing and has internet access, they will spread it on the 'Net in any form possible, probably blown out of proportion. The Internet's anonymity allowing for poor taste, slander, and harassment, and it's instantaneous communication allowing the hyseria to spread quickly, makes any situation a PR disaster waiting to happen, if not already happening. Before you know it, a stream of viral videos, parodies of your advertisements, and maybe photoshopped pictures of your wife naked will be ''all over'' the Internet for the world to see. All of this will emphasize the simple (to them) fact that you ''seriously'' screwed up. They will not cease and desist until the "problem" is fixed. In the worst case, they won't cease and desist then, either. (Ask {{Metallica}}.)

# Do nothing! Who cares if the internet doesn't like you? You still have millions of customers purchasing your products, right?! It can be effective if your product isn't internet-based or aimed heavily at that demographic, and if the counterattack doesn't get too intense. If it ''does'' get too intense, it'll spread to traditional media, and you'll have to resort to another strategy. It won't work at all if your product is that MMORPG[[hottip:* :Although you're screwed no matter what, since if you reverse the changes, the ''other'' half of your subscribers will complain that they loved the changes. Nobody will actually carry out their inevitable threat to cancel their account, though, so no worries...]].

* Part of the [[OldMediaPlayingCatchUp old media's]] obsession with {{Twitter}} stems from the fact that it's very good for spreading the word about a story [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter#Use_in_protest_and_politics quickly and massively]].

** It might not be as protected as many believe, due to the nitty-gritty details of just how much of it constitutes a parody (Uses nearly 20 minutes of footage, reveals the whole plot, etc). Though it's not like Wiseau deserves that benefit of the doubt, or will get it: there is also evidence that the Critic and Co's reaction comes not from the copyright claim, but whoever made it demonstrating a very bad attitude in the process.

** And Dr. Ashens's parody of it [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z29dYUXoloI here]].